An arranged marriage. A perfect bride. An old, creepy mansion. Deive thought he is lucky to be paired with Callea Lopez - she's beautiful, talented, and loyal. Except she lives on a haunted mansion. And she is keeping secrets from him. Original cover by Runa Lee, lunafatima1093@gmail.com
Rachmaninoff's music from the antique phonograph floated around the old Commonwealth mansion in Nagcarlan, Laguna. Callea loved listening to classical music while reading at the sofa just right before dinnertime. Luna, her black cat purred while sleeping on her lap.
It was as if the music was singing for the dark night and the round moon, even the mystical elements that only live up during the night.
"Señorita, here is your tea, " Marina offered her a cup of tea. She was a hunchback who helped her around the mansion and she was the only person who lived with her.
She was a twenty-six-year-old single woman living in the mansion in the middle of nowhere. There were only fields around them and the neighbors were a few kilometers away. She didn't mind the solitude. She loved it. She didn't need too much human in her life. She already got a cat.
"Thank you, Marina." Luna meowed as if thanking the woman. Then the cat laid down her head on her lap once more, continuing its slumber.
The night was perfect. The full bright moon even made it more so. She would ask Marina to watch the moon with her later. The rise of the full moon was the best chance for them.
The silence of the night was blasted by the ring from the antique telephone. Callea picked it up and answered it. "Hello."
"Callea, how are you, apo (grandchild)?" It was her grandfather, Tomasino Lopez, Sr. On the other line. He was the father of her mom. He owned the mansion she was living in. Her grandfather was living to the clan's main residence in Manila.
"I am great, Lolo, " she answered. "Have you see the moon tonight? It is beautiful."
"No time to view the moon but I will make your moon-watching extra special. I have good news for you. You finally get what you want."
Her eyes became as big as saucers. "Really, Lolo? You will finally give me Villa Celesta?"
Villa Celesta was her life. It has been a lifetime dream of hers to own it. It was the ancestral home of the Lopezes. There was so much history on it because it was erected during 1920s during the American Occupation in the Philippines.
And it was where she was born as well twenty-six years ago. She had so many beautiful memories there with her departed parents. The place made her feel happy. It was also her shield from the cruel outside world. It was her paradise.
But the Lopezes had its own misogynistic tradition. Her grandfather wanted to pass down the mansion to his eldest grandson - her cousin, Tomasino Roque Lopez III or her Kuya Torque. Even if her cousin was not interested with the mansion because he had his own villain Manila and a member of the prestigious Stallion Island and Leisure Club, her grandfather still kept on holding on to his own tradition.
So it was great news that her grandfather was finally giving in.
"But I have one condition."
Callea stopped rejoicing. It was like the air hang around her while the ring of power was in his voice. "W-What is it, Lolo?"
"You have to marry my best friend's grandson."
Like a melting candle, Callea leaned back to the antique mahogany settee. Marry a stranger. A wedding. Ugh! She was pledged to be a single forever. She had no need for a boyfriend or a groom or a husband.
She just wanted to be left alone and free.
She had tinnitus after hearing that bomb of a condition. She couldn't think properly. Even her blood froze. "Who is the grandson of best friend?"
Of course, she must know who she was marrying first. Her grandfather didn't expect her to just accept his edict without asking questions, right?
"It is Deive. Deive Hontiveros. Don't worry. I choose well for you. He was good looking, he studied abroad and he had brains for business. He helped a lot with the family business by introducing innovative marketing system."
And her grandfather kept on singing praises for the man as if the sun rise and set on him.
Deive Hontiveroz. He would be her groom. Of course, she knew him. They were from the same social circle. He was a womanizer. Beautiful women follow him wherever he goes. And she was sure that he was a superficial man. He only sees people for their physical beauty. The type she loathed, by the way.
And she would marry this man? That would be a disaster.
But what choice does she have? She had a mansion to possess. And marrying Deive was the only way to do it. She couldn't find her voice to protest.
Her cat must have sensed her anxiety. It stood up on her lap then rubbed its hairy body to her legs to her arm. But Callea couldn't feel anything. Her cat trying to comfort her didn't work.
She was like a still sculpture while listening to her grandfather discuss Deive and their wedding. Could she really marry the man who won't accept the real her? Could he accept her world?
"I want you to welcome him well, " her grandfather continued. "Make sure that he will like you. He will be at Villa Callea tomorrow night to meet you."
Tomorrow night? That soon?
She hasn't even recovered from the thought that she would marry the womanizing stranger. Then he would just arrive at the mansion and invade her solitude and her grandfather expected her to welcome the man with open arms?
Oh! She just wanted to faint.
But all she could answer was a simple, "Yes, Lolo". it was not the right time for complaints. If she as much as voiced a protest, her grandfather might pull back his condition and won't give her a chance to get the mansion at all.
That would be an even bigger disaster.
"W-What if he doesn't like me, Lolo?" Callea asked, hoping there would be another way out of this stipulation.
"You are beautiful, hija. I am sure Deive can't resist you."
Cheska needs closure from her first love, Darryl, when she decided to go to Jeju Island. She wants to visit his tomb. In her trip, she met Carter, a Filipino who is working in Seoul as an English teacher and he looks a lot like Darryl. She feels like Darryl came back to life in Carter. Chesca wants another shot at love, this time with Carter. Will things work out between Cheska & Carter? Is Cheska sure she is really over with her past and feelings for her lost love?
Esmeralda has no time for love. She has a brother with leukemia and she’s willing to do everything for him. When Aiden offered a marriage of convenience to help him get his inheritance and get away from his controlling brother, she accepted in the condition that he will help with her brother’s medical expenses. Everything changed when she saved a handsome and virile man who was washed away by the flood. Richard Infante is arrogant and rich - both characters she hated in a man. And because the flood and landslides isolated their place, he had no choice but to live a simple life since doesn’t own a cent under his name. Everytime she meets his eyes laced with anger, she melts. He lights up the fire inside of her and shave gave herself to him- body and soul. She’s’ ready to forget her promise of marriage to Aiden to be with him. But who would have thought that her love for him will ruin all her plans and promises? And the man she loves her own enemy.
Completed story Do you believe that love is blind? Errr... I don't think so. Cameron’s playboy ways changed after brushing with death in a shipwreck. Mitos, the crew who saved his life, made him promise to look for his ex-girlfriend and ask for her forgiveness. When he finally found her, Love was being hounded by the gangsters and she was already blind. To protect her, he had to pretend to be Mitos, her ex-boyfriend. Until his lies turn to love. What if she finds out that everything was a lie? The original story is in Filipino published under Precious Hearts Romances
With her apartment devastated by fire, Alondra’s boss asked her to stay at her vacant condo. It has been vacant for a year and was afraid lost spirits would find its way there. One time, she heard someone taking a shower and the voice of a man in the other room. Bringing her antique cross, she went to the other room to offer a prayer to the lost soul. While kneeling in front of the door of the bathroom, the door opened and a man with the face of a demigod and a perfect physique stood in front of her. His body was covered by nothing but a piece of towel. Only, it was not a ghost but the real owner of the condo and her new boss.
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffman—the heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
The Billionaire Betrayed Wife follows Rachael Morgan, an orphan whose search for love leads her into the ruthless world of the Blackwood family. Betrayed by her husband and tormented by her adoptive sister, Rachael's life spirals into chaos when she's cast out and left to survive on the streets, pregnant and alone. Just when all hope seems lost, a mysterious savior from her past rescues her, giving her the chance to heal and rebuild. Years later, she returns stronger, armed with a fierce desire for revenge. With her son by her side, Rachael will stop at nothing to destroy those who shattered her trust-even if it means risking everything to reclaim her life and her power.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.